Rumors that Algerian President Abdelaziz Bouteflika is suffering from a fatal disease have been confirmed in an exclusive report to Albawaba from reliable sources in Paris, where the Algerian leader was treated in recent weeks. These sources told Albawaba that Bouteflika is likely to live for "only another 12 to 18 months."
In recent weeks Bouteflika's obvious health complications have been shrouded in secrecy, while last week he announced publicly that Algerians "have no reason to be worried."
"As officials responsible for the people and nation," he added, "we cannot hide things in which we are accountable before God."
However, the visibly ill Algerian leader only recently emerged from a three-week stay in the Val de Grace military hospital in Paris where he was being treated for a stomach hemorrhage.
Bouteflika was operated after being admitted to Val de Grace on November 26, with physicians reporting that the procedure had been a "success." However, in a television interview last week in which 68-year old Bouteflika attempted to downplay the gravity of his situation, he appeared weak and was clearly speaking with difficulty.
Additionally, the secrecy which had surrounded the president's situation led many to believe that the true nature of his illness was worse than reports claimed.
Many fear that his death may lead to a power vacuum which would unhinge the stability he had brought the county.
